Survival of the Fittest
by Katharine Rose
Summary: War against the vampires and humans is raging on again. Sometimes problems occur in war and those problems are triggered by bad choices. People die, people get hurt, people at your safe haven betray you, people keep secrets from you, and you sometimes fall in love with the enemy. Mom always said, "There is a fine line between love and hate." Dad always said, "Kill or be killed."
1. Chapter One

**_Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries or its characters. Everything belongs to their rightful owners._**

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**A/N: This story will be told in different point of views.**

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_**Survival of the Fittest**_

_By Katharine Rose_

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**_Full Summary_**

Eight years ago, humans won the first war against the vampires and humans with help of the witches and werewolves. Now, the second war is raging on and it is stealing the life of humanity. The Council is destroyed by a group of vampires and the people of Mystic Falls need to build a new council from scratch. Somehow, Elena Gilbert becomes the new leader of The Council and she makes a decision that will not only astonish the people of Mystic Falls, but herself and Caroline Forbes as well.

At each passing moment, humanity is dying and humans must fight back. If they don't, humanity may become extinct. However, sometimes problems occur in war, problems that you cannot cease to exist. Those problems are triggered by bad decisions that people make. People die, people get hurt, people at your safe haven betray you, people keep secrets from you, and you sometimes fall in love with the enemy. Mom always said, "There is a fine line between love and hate." Dad always said, "Kill or be killed."

Both Caroline and Elena have to make important decisions in their life, decisions that will cause problems to happen in war. Some of the decisions are good decisions, others are bad decisions. Either way, they must decide whether to fight for their people or for love. But at the end of each day, the question they should be asking themselves is this: Which is more important? Love or sacrifice?

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**Chapter One**

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**_Elena_**

At the age of one years old, my father would always force me to drink vervain water and stash vervain in my pockets.

At the age of three, my father taught me how to properly stake a vampire. Jeremy would watch as I staked a dummy in the chest, waiting patiently for the time when it would be his turn to learn. The stake goes through the thick protection of layers of skin, through the rib cage, pass the lung, and into the undead, beating heart.

At the age of six, my father left my mom, Jeremy, and me to fight in the first war against the vampires and the humans. This war is called The War of Vampires. Before my dad left for the war, he gave me a silver antique necklace. Jeremy received a family ring, with the first letter of our surname engraved in the blue stone. Both of these jewelry are stashed with the sweet smell of vervain. A witch casted a spell upon these items and as long as Jeremy and I wear them, we will come back to life if a supernatural being murders us. We also can't be compelled.

At the age of eight years old, Jeremy and I found out that the humans won The War of Vampires with the help of the witches and werewolves. Now the millions of vampires around the world are searching for vengeance.

At the age of sixteen our father and mother were murdered in cold blood by a vampire on May 23.

And now at the age of eighteen, my father left the legacy for my brother and me to cease the living of vampires.

Although my father raised my brother and me to be tough, my father was like a soft teddy bear. If you asked me the first memory of my parents that I have engraved in my brain, I would have to answer with the memory of my father running down the long staircase each and every year for the anniversary of the Fourth of July. The Fourth of July was my father's favorite holiday, because that was when "we most revealed our pride for our country." If you haven't guessed already, my father was a nationalist. As he ran down the stairs excitedly like a child eager to receive Christmas gifts, he would jump off the staircase gracefully. When he landed perfectly on the hard wooden floor, with his feet slightly apart from each other, he would spread his hands out and scream, "Humanity, Humility, and Hope!" My mother would always shake her head at his childish acts and laugh. A light pink blush crept on the apples of her cheeks as she would sheepishly look down at her shoes. My father shouted those three words as if those words would change the world. He shouted them as if they were a cure to forget about the vampires fighting for control over the human race. He shouted those words with so much confidence, that I would always find myself believing every syllable he spoke. Everyone believed the words he spoke. I still believe in his words. I believe that humanity wins in the end; humility is what builds on humanity; and hope is what keeps our hearts beating.

Recently, however, with war approaching, I find that it is harder to believe in those words that whisper to me in the depths of the night. Ever since my parents' death, I feel as if there is a vast hole deep inside of my chest. No matter how many times I try to stitch it back together, it doesn't heal. There is a part of me who is gone and I don't know where to find it. I suppose my other half is hidden somewhere deep in Main Square, where my parents were murdered. But I refuse to enter within the streets of Main Square. I would rather have someone pull off my fingernails.

I walk inside of the abandon Mystic Fall's cemetery. I am glad that I am alone. The fall wind blows coolly on my skin and I am thankful I decided to wear my leather jacket. My eyes look up at the tall tree that illuminates boldly from the bright sun. The leaves turn into beautiful colors of orange, red, and brown. They fall down from the branches of the tree, gracefully, as though they were truly feathers and not leaves. I breathe in the Fall air. I now realize why Fall was my father's favorite season. Everywhere you looked, dark beauty surrounded you, in a way where you didn't feel alone. The cool air brings you to the realization that this is what life truly is. The crushing of the dead leaves beneath your feet allows memories to stick with you at each step you take. The whole season of Fall reminds me of my dad. It is as though my dad is still with me somehow. When the season of summer arrives, it is as though my mother is with me. I wonder if what season it is depicts upon when your deceased relative visits you.

When I reach the huge silver headstone with my surname engraved in huge, beautiful cursive letters, I feel warm tears. _Gilbert_. It has been about a month since I have last visited my parents' grave and I can't help but feel the dreadful feeling of guilt beat at the inside of my chest. Each time I catch sight of that damn headstone, I feel as if I am punched in the gut. I find it hard to breathe, as if the air around me ceases to exist in this time. Stupid tears poke at the rim of my eyes and I am angry at myself for feeling such emotions. I blink quickly, not wanting to cry. I tuck a strand of my loose hair behind my ear before kneeling down to the moist dirt. I feel the icy mud seep through my black workout capris. It somehow keeps me focus.

I take another deep breath of the Fall air. It calms me. I stare at the beautiful words engraved in the silver stone underneath my last name.

_In Memory_

_Grayson Gilbert. Miranda Gilbert._

_May 23, 2012_

_Loving Parents_

I extend my pointer finger out and trace over the cool and smooth engravings of my parents' name. I do this over and over again until the tip of my finger turns numb. I open my mouth to speak, but my throat closes up as if someone wrapped their thick fingers around it. This stops the words from blurting out, words I don't even know I want to say.

The wind blows softly on me and the tall trees move with the wind. The dead leaves grind against each other and I like the sound. The branches of the tree and the leaves dance an elegant dance. In the distance, a crow croaks and I groan. If there is a creature that I hate more than the vampires, it is the crow. Whenever something horrible happens in my life, a crow sits there, croaking its ugly croak. It's beady eyes watch the events unfold and I swear, those damn crows enjoy whenever someone else is in pain. The croak of the crows sound as if they are dying from a horrible death and that sound only reminds me that death is circling around me, and that it will circle around me until the day I die. The stupid crow creaks out again in the distance and I clench my hands tightly into fists. My long, sharp fingernails dig into the soft flesh of the palm of my hands. I don't feel the sharp pain as I do so. A crow lands on my parent's headstone. I glare at it, clenching my jaw to the side. "Go away," I say behind clenched teeth. The crow stares at me in reply. It stares with a blank look, but I know the damn thing knows what I am saying. I stand up from the ground quickly. I wipe my hands on my black capris. I bring my hands out to shoo the ugly bird away. "Go away!" I yell at it. The crow creeks at me as if it is angry. I huff out an angry sigh. It flaps its wings and flies off. I watch as it flies and then settles its creepy feet on the branch of a tree. I look away from the crow and breathe out a long sigh. I lick at my dry lips and look back at my parents' headstone. I suppose this should be the part where I speak to my dead parents, but I don't know quite what to say.

_"Are you proud of me, Mom and Dad? Are you proud that I shooed that ugly bird away from your headstone?"_

I don't say that. Instead I clear my throat and say, "War is less than two weeks away and I'm scared." I speak casually in the air as if my parents were really beside me. My voice wavers slightly, but that is only because of my emotions that threaten to get the better of me. I feel my hand shaking and I think of other thoughts. "Dad, I know you got through this war thing, but I'm scared that I'm not going to be able to do it. I am scared that I am going to let people down. I am scared that people are going to die, because of my mistakes." What I will give to hear my father's reassuring voice, but of course, the only reply I get is the croaking of the stupid crow. "Please find a way to guide Jer and me. Find a way where Jeremy can at least be protected. I-"

The annoying ringing of my phone interrupts me. I quickly apologize to the air as I rummage my hand through the pocket of my leather jacket. When I feel the stiffness of my phone, I pull it out. I groan loudly when I see the caller I.D. Alaric. Dammit.

I clear my throat. I quickly think of an excuse that I can use in case he interrogates me. When I think of one about how Carol Lockwood needed me to test out vervain grenades, I answer the phone.

"I'm on my way now," I say roughly as I answer. I give one last look to my parents' headstone and speak into the phone again. "Carol Lockwood wanted me to-"

"You can't keep on doing this, Elena!" Alaric yells in the phone. That is my cue to hang up. I do so. Alaric will be even more pissed that I hung up on him, but he shouldn't yell at me. I walk out of Mystic Falls Cemetery. I turn around, giving myself one last look of the cemetery. When I do so, the crow stares at me. Its beady eyes stare into my eyes. I feel as if the crow is seeing straight into my soul and I squirm under its gaze. Soon, the crow flaps his wings and flies off into the distance. I shake the feeling of being watched off my shoulders and run to the gym were Alaric, my brother, and I prepare for war.

When I reach the gym, I hesitate on walking inside. I know that Alaric will be a dick to me and I am not really looking forward to that part of the day. However, I also know that if I don't go inside and face him soon, he will end up more pissed than he already is. I wipe my sweaty palms on my black capris and pull open the gym door with my hand. As I walk inside of the gym, Alaric and Jeremy's head pounces up to look at me. Alaric narrows his eyes as Jeremy offers me a small smile. Alaric stands with his muscular arms folded over his thick chest. I feel my eyes roll at his look. I know that all he is doing is to try to appear tough and mean, but if you know Ric like I do, you know he is nothing but a large teddy bear.

"I'm sorry." I peel off my leather jacket and throw it off somewhere randomly on the gym floor. In reply, I receive a more threatening glare. I gather all of my hair up in my hand. I want my hair up in a ponytail before we start practicing. If my hair stays down, it will get in my eyes, blocking me from fighting properly against Jeremy and Alaric. I pull my hair up high against my scalp and use my free hand to push down any bumps. I pull off the black hair tie that rests on my right wrist. I quickly tie it around my hair, creating a tight ponytail. "Carol wanted me to, uh, check on something."

The first rule about lying: don't forget what your lie is actually about.

"So doing something for Carol was more important than today's lesson? Today's lesson is on how to create a vervain grenade."

"I already know how to do that," I say, shrugging my shoulders. At the mention of vervain grenades, I remember my lie. I think back when my father taught Jeremy and me to make a vervain grenade and how to properly use it. I was thirteen and Jeremy was eleven. It was great bonding time. It was every kid's dream to throw a vervain bomb up into the sky. Well, getting injured in the process wasn't every kid's dream, but watching the vervain explode in the sky was exciting.

"Jeremy!" Alaric yells and I am angry that Alaric is yelling at Jeremy. However, before I know it, Jeremy is running to me with a clenched fist heading straight for my left eye. I let out a quick yelp and move to the right as quickly as I can. Jeremy's tight fist misses me from just a few inches. My heart slams against my chest and I clench my jaw to the side. "What the hell?" I scream out. Jeremy's eyes reach mine. They appear apologetic, however, he attempts to punch me again. Apologetic my ass. This time, I am fully aware of what is going on. I block his punch with my arm, pushing him back with all of the strength I can build up in my arms. Jeremy stumbles back and I think for a moment that he is going to lose his balance and fall, but he stands up and straightens himself. He offers me that goofy, brotherly smile of his he always gives me. It is a way for him to say that he is going to win. I roll my dark orbs and turn my attention over to Alaric.

"You have to always be on high alert," he says casually as if nothing has happened. I narrow my eyes at him.

Alaric Saltzman. He is not an easy guy to comprehend. He is Jeremy's and my vampire hunting instructor and our uncle. He has short sandy brown hair that is always set up in a plain style. He has dark hazel orbs that always have a spark in them, giving the appearance that they are smiling. However, if you look closely into his eyes, then you'll realize he has a story that he is hiding. I don't press on it. I understand the feeling of wanting closure and if anyone deserves closure, it is Ric.

Alaric has muscles that appear to multiply by each second of the day. I suppose that is one reason Aunt Jenna fell for him. I remember when she walked in on a lesson. It was about how to properly hold a stake. I didn't know that there were about five ways to properly hold a stake. Dad only taught us one. Anyway, we were learning outside in the forest, practicing on an ugly dummy. Jenna was searching for us, because Jeremy and I forgot to tell her where we were going. She of course threw a fit, screaming our names, stomping on the dry dirt of the forest. But when her green eyes met into Alaric's hazel ones, she instantly stopped screaming at us. A year later, they were married. Now Jenna is as happy as ever. Well, she would be happier if none of us have to go off into war, but that is just the way life is.

"You can't just show up late on the battlefield, because you know what would happen then? Your team, they will be dead and there will be nothing that you can do about it, because you would have been reckless and been late!" Alaric yells. His heavy footsteps walk towards me. I fold my arms over my chest. I huff out a long breath, knowing I will be hearing the complaints about how I was aloof and careless to the fact that the world war is only in two weeks I lick at my dry lips. I try to concentrate on Alaric's screaming, but the only thought I can focus on is that in two weeks, I might be one of the estimated 73.4% that might end up dead in this war. I know my number decreases as the government lowers the age of those who are to enter the war, but still. The thought is unnerving, like that one horror movie I watched last month.

"You have to pay attention and prepare for the real war out there!"

And here is the part where Alaric treats me as if I don't understand what the hell is going on in the world. I clench my hands into tight fists. I want to punch something. I want to tear something out with my teeth and destroy anything I see in sight. But I remember what my mom told me about controlling my emotions. _Deep breaths. Deep breaths. Just breathe. Just breathe._

"We have two weeks, Elena." Alaric begins to pace back and forth in the large gym. He brings both of his hands over his face and wipes at his face in long strokes, as if that would wipe away his uneasiness. He turns his eyes back at me. "You have to be physically prepared for this war and participating in cheerleading for two years isn't going to cut it."

I open my mouth to object. I open my mouth to say the most mind-blowing, fantastic comment I will ever make to anyone who exists. But, I can't think of anything logical to argue against what he said. It is true. The most athletic thing in my life that I have ever done was cheerleading. It wasn't like at cheerleading practice they had each of us line up to practice how to stake a vampire. However, the high kicks we learned are very helpful with punching someone in the abdomen or face.

Although my hair is tied up in a high ponytail, a strand of loose hair sticks to the side of my cheek, damp with sweat. I lick at my lips. My eyes feel tired. It is early in the morning and I want nothing more, but to fall asleep and never wake up. I study Alaric for a few moments. He breathes in and out unevenly. He keeps on brushing his long fingers against his scalp, pulling his hair back as he does. I narrow my eyes at him. Something is wrong.

"Is this about me or you?" I ask. I lean against the cool wall of the gym. It is blue and gold. Tacky colors. Alaric only glares with his eyes. He shakes his head and points his finger at me. "You." His voice is weak and I notice his eyes blinking more than necessary. He is being deceitful. I turn my head and look over at Jeremy. "Jer," I say, "I have to talk to Alaric."

"And why do I have to leave?" he protests.

"Jeremy," I say in a low voice. "Go. Check on Jenna. I think she's sick. She was throwing up this morning."

Jeremy clenches his jaw to the side. His dark eyes look up to the gym ceiling. He stares up there for a moment, as if the answers are engraved on the ceiling. He then looks back at me. He nods his head in reply and walks to the exit of the gym. When I hear the slamming of the door shutting close, signaling that Jeremy left, I look at Ric.

"Okay, what is it?" I ask. I bounce my body off the gym wall and walk towards Ric. Alaric folds his arm over his chest. He keeps his chin up high. His eyes look everywhere in the gym, but at me. I now stand in front of Alaric. I study his features, studying them in a way where his expression would reveal to me what is wrong. Luckily for him, he knows how to keep a poker face.

"Is it about the war? About the vampires?" He doesn't answer so I continue to speak. "If it is about that, don't worry. You know how to epically kill a vampire."

"It's not that," Ric whispers. This time he looks up so he can look me in the eyes.

"Is it - Is it Jenna?" I ask.

At the mention of Jenna, Alaric's eyes shoot down to his feet. He breathes in a deep breath and look up to me again. He doesn't say anything and I know something is wrong.

"What is it?" I demand. Alaric doesn't answer. He only stares at me. "Tell me, Alaric. Is she okay?"

"She's pregnant," he says. He runs his hand through his hair. I feel my mouth fall open. I think back of when Jenna was throwing up this morning. When I asked her what was wrong, she said nothing was.

I feel myself think. I do this whenever I am presented with a hard situation. I offer Alaric a small smile. I can imagine what he is feeling. He is probably worried about not being there for Jenna when she gives birth. He is probably worried of dying and never seeing her or his baby. He is probably worried that Jenna is going to be by herself during all of this. All in all, it is a sucky time for Aunt Jenna and Alaric to have a kid.

"Maybe - Maybe you could find a way to not go to war," I suggest. It is a horrible suggestion. I know it. Alaric knows it. But it is the only thing we have.

Ric shakes his left hand as he shakes his head. "No way in hell," he says.

I unfold my arms and pin them to my sides. "Why not?"

"I can't leave you and Jeremy alone. What kind of uncle would I be if I did that?"

I shrug my shoulders. "What kind of father would you be if you just abandon your wife and baby? Don't worry about us, Alaric. Jer and I know how to fight. We're badasses."

I notice a small smile pull up on Alaric's face, but it is quickly replaced with a frown. "It's not that simple, Elena. I should be with the rest of my people. I should help them fight."

I shake my head. "Your people are the people who you care about. The humans will be fine without you, Alaric. We have witches on our side. We have that creepy ass old lady that always knows our thoughts. We have people who are born to be hunters, Alaric. Jeremy is one of them. We will be fine. Have hope in us. Stay with your pregnant wife. It does not make you a horrible person if you do that."

Alaric bites at the corner of his lips. "I don't think you realize how The Council will not agree with this. They will force me to fight. They will force me to leave Jenna."

I place my hand on Alaric's arm gently. "Not if we convince them to have you stay. It is still early in the day. In two hours you and me are going to The Council. We are going to convince them that you need to stay with your wife. If that doesn't work, we bring guns."

Alaric laughs. Wrinkles form on his forehead and at the corners of his eyes. Alaric nods. His lips are still up in a smile when he says, "Your parents would be so proud."

I reply with a simple nod. Hearing someone else speak of my parents allows realization to set in that they are fully gone. I stare at Alaric for a single moment and bite at my lip.

"Let's go. I hear Jenna is going to make Parmesan chicken tonight. I don't want to miss it, so let's hurry and speak with The Council."

Alaric raises an eyebrow at me as he and I walk to the spot where I threw my leather jacket. I pick it up and push my arms through the sleeves. I adjust the jacket and walk to the exit of the gym. "Oh, so you heard _I_ was going to make Parmesan chicken tonight," Ric says, putting emphasis on the word I.

I laugh when Alaric says that. Jenna never cooks. Alaric is the one who does. I should have known that Jenna was lying to me when she said she was planning to cook dinner.

"Well, then I expect it to be the best Parmesan chicken I will ever have."

Ric nods his head. "Of course and Elena?" Alaric stops walking and he turns his head to me. I stop walking as well. "Yeah?" I say as I look over to him.

"Your parents are not just proud of you. I am as well."

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Alaric made the rash decision of walking to The Council Hall and I made the rash decision of agreeing with him. He thought that it would be a great way to get our thoughts planned out on what we were going to say; however, in the end, it began to thunder and rain. Alaric and I walk in silence beside each other. Both of us are damp and freezing. I kick a single, small pebble. I shiver as the cool rain damps my clothes and hair. I turn my head and look up at Alaric. My face is set in a glare. I fold my arms over my chest and think about what my father would do in a situation like this. Well, for starters, my father would have known if it was to rain or not. He could just tell my looking up at the sky. I suppose Alaric and I are naïve. We need to pay more attention to the warning signs of nature before we hop on a train down to hell. Secondly, my father would have been against the idea of Alaric not wanting to go to war. My father believed that if you went off into war, fighting for your people and your country, then you were a hero. No matter how many times my brother, my mom, and I begged my father to stay, he refused, saying the only way to protect us was if he went off into war. My mother would be for the idea of Alaric staying home with Jenna. Mom knew how hard it was for Jenna to even raise a puppy on her own. God can only imagine what it would be like to Jenna to raise a baby. I shudder at the thought.

"Oh, don't have that frown on your face," Alaric says. I turn my head to the left to look away from him. In the distance I can see the small Council Hall. I think about running, but I know I will trip from the slick road.

"So, what's the plan?" I ask a few minutes after Alaric's comment of my frown.

Alaric turns his head to me. His damp hair sticks to the side of his face like mine does. He raises an eyebrow at me and folds his arm over his chest as he walks. "I thought you were the one who was filled with all of the plans."

I roll my eyes at his comment. "Unfortunately today, I allowed you to decide on us walking to The Council Hall. Now look what happened."

"Oh, enjoy the nature," Alaric says and chuckles.

"I'll enjoy it when I am not shaking like a leaf," I deadpan. "Anyway, I think we are just going to improv. We use their emotions for our benefit. We make them cry."

"I don't think Richard Lockwood and you Uncle John are the crying type."

I groan at the mention of my uncle. My uncle is such an asshole and I like to pretend that he is non-existent. "They might not cry, but Carol and Liz will. Believe it or not, but through that cold heart of Carol, there is actually a real life human being.

Alaric laughs a short laugh. He rolls his hazel orbs as I speak, as if I am speaking nonsense. Speaking about Carol actually being a human being with human being qualities is a bit nonsense, but it is true. If you think about it, the world is filled with nothing but nonsense. A smile creeps upon Alaric's lips. "We persuade them. I use my charm."

I shake and I begin to feel my teeth chatter. "You have charm?"

Ric nods his head. "How'd you think I got Jenna?"

I shiver again. The Council Hall is a few feet away. "I really don't want to hear about the 'charm' you used on Jenna. Right now, we have to focus on what we are going to do. We have to be logical and make The Council understand."

Alaric and I stop speaking to each other. In a short few moments, we stand in front of The Council Hall. I breathe out a shaky breath and wipe my sweaty palms on my jeans. I extend my hand out to touch at the cool, steel door handle. I turn my head to look over at Alaric. "Are you ready, Ric?" But before he can answer, I open the door. The door creaks in protest and a blast of cool air blows on me. I feel myself shiver as I walk inside the building. Warmth surrounds me and Alaric walks in behind me. The door closes with a bang and I look straight ahead at Mrs. Ritts. I hear water drip onto the ground and Mrs. Ritts looks up at Alaric and me. Her face is alarmed. Her hair is pulled back in a tight bun and I wonder if she pulls her hair back so tight to hide the wrinkles that are forming at the corner of her eyes. If that is the reason, it is not working. I offer her a smile and open my mouth to speak, but she speaks before me.

"Oh, dear. Why are you dripping wet?"

I turn around and point outside. "It's raining pretty bad," I say in the nicest way I could muster.

"I see."

I nod my head awkwardly, wanting to have this conversation get to an end. "Alaric I would like to speak with The Council." I think this is the first time that I have used my nicest and fakest voice.

I rest my palms on Mrs. Ritts desk. I continue to smile at her and she looks over my shoulders to Alaric. She smiles widely at him. She nods her head and looks back at me. She brings her hand up to her slight gray hair and smooths it down. "Alright. They are in the main room. You know where that is, Elena?"

I nod my head. I have gone inside of this building since I was a toddler. I give Mrs. Ritts another small smile. "Thank you," I say and turn to look at Ric. I wave my hand at him, motioning for him to follow me down the long hall. Alaric does so.

On the outside of The Council Hall, it appears nothing more to be but a small mayor building. However, when you enter inside of the building, you realize that there is more to the building than just looking small and delicate from outside. Inside of The Council Hall, there are hundreds of weapons that are used specifically against vampires. Most of the vervain that we use is farmed in a small room, somewhere deep inside of the building. Guns, crossbows, and grenades are packed up in millions of boxes in the storage room. Those weapons will soon be shipped off around the world to countries who need those weapons to fight against the vampires. In return, we receive food, clothing, and whatever supplies we truly need. It is strange to think that in the past, people were against each other, however, when we all have the same enemy, we search for the guidance of each other. We stick together like wolves and hope that each and everyone of us can get through this horrible time.

"Here's the plan," I whisper to Alaric as we walk. "Leave it to me to talk. You just look at Carol and Liz. Show your pain."

Ric scoffs. I turn my head to look at him again. "Oh, come on. They would love it."

Alaric shakes his head. I ignore him and reach the silver door where The Council are together, having a secret conversation. I open the door. It creaks slowly and I force my legs to walk within the room with the rest of The Council. Each of the members of The Council are sitting upon expensive white cushioned chairs. The room is decorated with white, gold, and silver. There is a couch that is at the corner. It is white with a rose pillow resting in the middle of the couch. The flooring is a dark wooden mahogany color. Over the shining wooden flooring is a long, plush white carpet. I come to the realization that this is Carol's design. I swallow. I suddenly have the feeling of déjà vu. I remember when my father brought me here when I was younger. That was when he was part of The Council. Once Dad died, Uncle John took over. When Uncle John dies, I will take over.

Once Richard Lockwood's dark eyes lay upon us, he stands tall. He is in his normal attire. He wears a dark suit. He pats his palms on his clothes to straighten out his suit. His eyes meet mine and he opens his mouth to speak.

"Elena, Alaric, we were not expecting you." If anyone besides Richard or John spoke that sentence, it would have sounded polite.

I see Carol glare at her husband. She looks at Ric and me. She stands from her fancy cushioned chair and pats at her pink skirt. "It is good to see you two. What can we do for you?"

I look at John. He stares at me. I stare back. He's wearing black suit pants and a dark royal blue shirt. His blue orbs look away from me when he realizes I caught him staring. I then look over at Liz. She has that motherly vibe. I suppose it is because she is the mother of one of my best friends. Caroline. Liz is in her sheriff uniform and her smile fades as she looks up at Carol.

"Alaric and I are here to talk with each of you," I say politely.

Carol nods. "Well, please," she says, her hand gesturing to the free chairs beside John, "take a seat."

I slowly shake my head in reply. "We are both damp from the rain. I don't want to ruin your beautiful chairs."

Carol smiles. The only thing she got out of my decline was that I complimented her chairs.

I clear my throat, feeling as if my throat closed up. Carol sits back down on her cushioned chair and I open my mouth to speak. "I don't know if any of you know this, but my Aunt Jenna is pregnant."

Liz smiles at Ric. Carol nods her head in approval. I bet she is already planning a baby shower, although war is approaching. I hear John scoff in the distance and I want to go over to him to punch him in the face. Richard stares at me for a moment. He is thinking of where this is leading to.

"Congratulations, Alaric," Liz says.

I look over at Alaric. He nods his head at Liz. He thanks her as I unfold my arms. I pin them to my side. "I am glad you guys are happy for Alaric and Jenna. I am happy for them as well, but there is a great problem." I try to make my voice sound dramatic. I hint it with emotion. I hint it to show that Alaric needs help. I hint it to show that I need help for my aunt. "Jenna will not be able to get through this on her own. She is still affected by my parents' death. She has gone through a deep depression and she needs her husband with her through this hard time. It is hard on her that her niece and nephew are going to be sent off to war, but her husband too? The same husband that brought a little light into her world."

"Elena," Richard breathes out my name. I stare at him. I can feel the rejection bubbling in my chest. "The death of Grayson and Miranda Gilbert affected many people, not just in Mystic Falls, but all over the country. People looked up to your dad, and you know what you are hinting is something that your father would be against."

"My father was all about the war," I say. I take a step closer to The Council. I know I am stepping into important boundary, but I don't care. "My father forgotten about family and it would be inhumane if you forget about that as well. Jenna needs Ric. Jenna is sick and I know she is only going to get worse. Alaric wants to be with his wife. He has the right to be with his wife. We have a great amount of people fighting in the war already. We have witches on our side and we have people who are destined to be vampire hunters. I guarantee that we will be victorious when it comes with fighting with the vampires."

Richard is silent for a moment. He still stands tall and I wonder if he stands to show his status of authority. The silence that fell upon us keeps me with a feeling of uneasiness. I feel like shouting at Richard. I feel like shouting and begging him to answer. But soon enough, Richard shakes his head. "Alaric is one of our best in the field of vampires. He knows how to wipe them out and he has great ideas that can be a great advantage to us. He is going to be in the war. I refuse to lose him."

I feel anger run through my veins at Richard's reply. I take another step. "Alaric has a choice in the matter. When my father was in The Council, he gave people that choice."

This is when John stands. John holds his head up high and I want to stab my nails into his flesh and watch him bleed. "Your father is no longer in The Council. I am. I agree with Richard. Alaric is going to war."

"You are not giving him a choice," I argue. "He is his own person and he has the right to decide where his fate ends up."

John nods. "He has a choice." I feel hope shoot up through my bones. It feels like a great warmth spreading throughout my body and I begin to think that John is not the awful man that he truly is. "He has the choice of going to war with us or being locked in jail." And then in an instant, as if someone snapped their fingers, I hate John again.

"You can't send me to jail for not wanting to fight in this war." Alaric defends himself and I am proud of him for doing so.

John nods his head again. He looks like a bobble head, especially with his overly large head. "Of course I can. The Council from each state and each country, decided that a person ought to go to war. If not, they will be thrown in jail and considered a traitor. Possibly, they might be beheaded. But that is only if you are charged with treason."

I clench my jaw to the side as Alaric speaks. "I have done much for you guys. I built those vervain grenades. I taught people how to fight against vampires. I created weapons. You have no charge of treason when all I want is to be with my wife."

"Alaric, you are a smart man," Richard says. "You know we have to think of what is best for our people."

Alaric huffs out an angry breath. I clench my jaw to the side. I am speaking before I even realize what I am speaking. "I will not fight in the war then. Charge me with treason and cut off my head or hang me or do whatever you want with me. I refuse to fight."

"Elena," Alaric whispers. I realize I took this way too far, but I don't care. "No, Alaric," I say. "I have made up my mind. If The Council is too selfish to accept the fact that you have a choice, then they can lose another person to fight in the war. I will happily die for my beliefs."

I fold my arms over my chest. I narrow my eyes at each member of The Council. I then allow my eyes to travel on Richard and John. I glare at each of them. "I will not be apart of your games. If you do not give Alaric the right to have the freedom to choose if he wants to fight in the war or not, you will not just lose him, but men as well."

John walks to me. "You think you can threaten The Council?" he says between clenched teeth.

"No, I think I can offer a deal. That is what I am doing. You take it or leave it." I lick at my dry lips. "Allow me to remind you that my brother Jeremy is destined to be a real vampire hunter." I feel a smirk pulling up on my lips. "You really think he would want to fight for your side if murder his uncle and his sister? And what about my friend, Bonnie? She is a witch and a very powerful witch at that. You think she would want to help if you cut off the head of her best friend. People will turn against you. It will be like a domino effect."

Richard begins to walk to me. I have the feeling of fleeing away and move far away as humanly possible from Richard, but I stand still of where I am standing. My arms are still folded over my chest and I shiver from the cold air. I clear my throat. "I don't think you understand, Elena."

I laugh out a bitterly, cold laugh. "No, I don't think you understand, Mayor Lockwood." I spit out his name as if it is poison. "The Council only thinks of themselves."

"The Council," Richard says, raising his voice, "thinks of what is right. When you are the leader of The Council, you will understand. We have a war in a few weeks and in those short few weeks, thousands of people will die all over the world." I swallow the lump in my throat as Richard speaks. I grind my teeth together tightly. "I am not risking for one of my men to back out, because he wants to be with his wife when she gives birth. We have to think about the whole human race, not one person. It is hard to be a leader, Elena. It is one of the hardest things to do. You have to make hard decisions and one day, you will be forced to make them too. I am making a hard decision now and I am standing upon it. Leaders do what they think and feel is best for their people and this is what I feel and think is best."

Ric scoffs at Richards words. As he does, I hear a ticking noise. It is in the distance. However, I don't pay much attention to it. "People think of The Council brave," I say, "but you know what each of you really are? Each of you are cowards."

"That is enough, Elena!" John yells at me. I shake my head. I breathe out an angry breath. I walk to my uncle. I narrow my eyes at him as my jaw clenches. The beeping gets only louder.

"You, John, you're worse than all of them. You hide behind the job as being on The Council."

"Elena," I hear Richard voice warn to me. I glare at him, shaking my head. My anger radiates off me. I have never felt so angry about something before in my whole life. I wasn't even that angry when my father went off to war. I guess it is because I realize that The Council manipulates us. That's all they do.

I open my mouth to speak. The ticking gets louder. Then it stops completely. Before I can get a word to crawl out of my lips, a high-pitch scream replaces it. There is the loudest sound in the distance and suddenly, I am surrounded by fire. I feel smoke slither down my throat and attack at my lungs. The floor I now lay on begins to collapse and I feel as if I am falling. I grip my fingers tightly on the dark wooden floor. I see spots all over. Alaric is screaming my name. He is somewhere, but it sounds as if he is far away. His voice is muffled from my heavy heartbeat.

I try to push myself up from the large hole in the floor, but I am weak. My palms start to build the moist liquid of sweat. "No," I whisper to myself. I can feel my fingers beginning to lose grip. I hear screaming. I hear moaning and groaning. I wonder if I should just let go completely. I wonder if dying would just save me from the horrible future that is yet to come. But before I completely let go of the dark wooden flooring, I feel cold fingers wrap around my wrist. My heart jumps at the connection with hope. I feel my body being pushed up to The Council room. I feel dizzy and lightheaded. I look up. My eyes catch sight of hard icy blue eyes. I furrow my eyebrow. Before I know it, I am laying on the cold hard wooden floor again. I don't think twice about the person who saves me. I regret that.

I scream out Alaric's name. I notice he stopped calling me and I am filled with the instant feeling of worrisome.

"Alaric!" I cough out. It feels as it my lungs are closing in upon each other.

In that single moment, it feels as if the world froze completely. I wonder if time stopped and if this is some type of hell. Are there different types of hell Everywhere it is hot. It is hot all around me and I hear the spitting of fire racing around me. I feel the fight in me ceasing to exist. My eyelids begin to droop. I want nothing more than to close my eyes and never wake up again. But I know I can't. I turn my head. I feel pain when I do that. Richard is on the floor. He is unconscious. Fire licks up his flesh slowly and tears sting at the rim of my eyes. I smell burnt flesh. It is the worst smell I have ever smelled in my whole entire life. I push my body as far away from Richard's. Fire races to me. I have to move quick. My heart slams against my chest. My eyes burn horribly from the smoke. I cough. I try to speak, but the only sound that comes it is a croak. Dammit. I am beginning to sound like a damn crow.

Alaric," I whisper. I force my body to stand. Dark spots tease my vision and I feel like at any moment I am going to pass out and never wake up. I am surrounded by darkness and smoke. The air feels so thick and I have the stupid thought that if I brought my knife, I could have cut the atmosphere and entered into light, away from the darkness. "Alaric!" I find the willpower in me to scream. I think of where he could be. Alaric has to be somewhere. He has to be alive. Please be alive.

My eyes begin to fight with me. The lack of oxygen in my body is starting to mess with me. I feel as if all of the blood rushed to my head and it is making it difficult to walk. I hear coughing. I follow the sound of the coughing, because it is the only real sound that someone is alive rather than me. The coughing continues and then I hear wheezing. Soon, I realize the coughing and the wheezing is coming from me.

There is laughing in the distance. Why do I hear laughing?

I fall down to the ground, landing on my back. The fight in me gives up. I can't move. My body won't allow me to. I groan. I feel tears falling down my cheek as the hissing of fire gets closer and closer to me. I try breathing. I try fighting. I try to allow my eyes to stay open. I try to keep my mind conscious, but it is too late. The laughing only gets louder and the dark swoops underneath me, pulling me into the world of oblivion.

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Ever so slowly, the world comes into focus like the way a photograph does after it is printed. My eyes slowly blink. There is a bright light that hangs from a white ceiling. I immediately close my eyes from the harsh light. I feel a groan escape from my chapped lips and I feel something wrapped around my arms and something on top of my mouth. I feel my eyebrows furrow and that is when I hear someone say my name.

"Elena."

It is Jeremy's voice.

I force myself to open my eyes. The light is still bright, but I allow my eyes to adjust to it. A hand is settled on my arm and I force my head to turn to the right. The honeysuckle brown eyes of Jeremy's meet mine. He smiles at me, but slowly, his smile falters, as though someone washed it off. I swallow. My throat feels dry as sand and I yearn for a cold glass of water. I look away from Jeremy and try to focus on where I currently am. I do not recognize any of this. I do not recognize the glass walls that surround me like a cube. I do not recognize the small steel chair in the corner of the room. I do not recognize the soft bed I lay on. I do not recognize the smell. Where the hell am I?

Outside of the glass walls, I see my friends watching me with concern. Bonnie's green eyes are filled with unshed tears. She smiles as she watches me. Her light carmel face has red blotches and I know she had been crying. Caroline is beside her. Unlike Bonnie, her face is pale and she is crying. Her bottom lip wobbles and she turns around and seeks comfort from Bonnie. And lastly, Matt. Matt's blue eyes stares at me and I stare back for a moment. He places the palm of his hand on the glass wall, a way to show wanting. I quickly look away from Matt and look back to Jeremy.

I try to sit up, but as I do so, Jeremy places his hands gently on the tips of my shoulders. He pushes me back down to the bed and pins me there. He removes his hands from my shoulders and place them back on my arm. He rubs my smooth skin and I look down at my arm. There is an IV in my arm and I stare at it confused. I try to think back to what happened, but everything is blank. I feel as if something happened in a story and I turn the page and there is nothing but a blank page. Is this the blank page?

"You have to rest," Jeremy speaks softly to me. The thing on my face feels weird. I don't like it. I bring my hand up to my mouth and feel an oxygen mask. My hand moves quickly away from the mask as if it is on fire. And then instantly, as quickly as my hand backed away from the mask, the thought of what happened rushed through my mind.

"A-Alaric." My voice croaks like a frog as I speak. It hurt to speak and I feel tears prick at the rim of my eyes. I remember the fire. I remember the ticking sound. I remember the explosion. I remember the groaning and the moaning. I remember the horrible laughing. I cough into the oxygen mask. My lungs feel as if they are on fire as I remember the thick gray smoke that surrounded me.

"Alaric is alive," Jeremy confirms, his voice filled with relief. I force myself to nod my head, but I stop because pain quickly erupts down my neck.

"What hap-happened?" I don't know why I ask Jeremy what happened. I already know what happened. I suppose I just need someone else to say it. I need to hear it from someone else, because all of this feels surreal. I don't believe any of this.

Jeremy looks up at the ceiling. He stares up there for a moment or two. He then looks back down at me. He takes in a deep breath as if that would give him the courage to speak. "Vampires attacked The Council, Elena."

I swear my heart stops beating at his words. I don't believe him. It isn't possible. "What?" I croak out.

"Vampires sneaked in The Council Hall. They planted a big grenade in the heart of the building. John, Richard, Mrs. Ritts and other workers are all dead. Carol and Liz are alive, but severely injured. Vampires are marching within Mystic Falls as we speak. Luckily, we are the few hundred that got to safety before the vampires killed us."

Although it hurt, I cleared my throat. "I - What is this place?"

"It is a shelter that The Council had built. We should be safe here."

My eyebrows furrow in confusion. None of this is making sense. "I-I don't understand," I say. I lick at my dry lips. Jeremy blinks his eyes a few times. He rubs his hand up and down on my arm smoothly. Before he speaks, he breathes out a long breath as if that will prepare me for what he is about to say.

"Elena, the war has begun."

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	2. Chapter Two

_**Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries or its characters. Everything belongs to their rightful owners.**_

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**A/N: I want to thank everyone who reviewed Chapter One, who favorited my story and me, and lastly, who followed my story and me. That means a lot to me. Thank you. These small little things are inspiration.**

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**Chapter Two**

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_**Elena**_

I dream of when I am seven years old and had a break down. In the dream, I am crying about my father who is off in war, protecting humanity from the vampires. I don't want anyone to see me cry so I sneak off to my small white closet in my room. I open the blinded white door and squeeze myself inside the tight area. I close the door shut, locking myself inside. I lay upon my shoes that are spread out on the closet floor. Soon, my mother finds me.

"Oh, Elena," she says in the softest voice I have ever heard. She breathes out a long sigh and her arms wrap around my body and pick me up from the closet floor. She carries me to my bed and quickly moves the blanket towards the bottom of the mattress, destroying the perfectly made bed. When the blanket is out-of-the-way, she lays me gently on the bed as if I am fragile glass and is afraid to break me. She kicks off her shoes and climbs in with me. She grabs the blanket and covers our flesh with it, keeping us warm. I am still crying and she wipes away the tears with her fingers. She holds me tightly in her arms, my face nuzzles in her shoulder.

She keeps on repeating the same sentence over and over again. "I know, baby. I know, baby. I know, baby."

When I stop crying, she tells me that my father will be home soon. She kisses me on the cheek and yells, "Humanity, Humility, and Hope!" to remind me about my father. I repeat the phrase after her and soon, we are laughing together as if we are best friends and not mother and daughter.

Moments later, she begins to play with my fingers. "There's great evil in this world, Elena." I forgot how her voice sounds like warm honey, as the atmosphere around us turns serious. "However, there is also good in this world. I want you to remember to stay good. I want you to listen to your heart instead of your head. Trust your heart, not the logic behind it. I want you to know that whenever you need me, I am here. I will always be here." She kisses my cheek, but then the light around us changes and I am alone in my room, wearing a black dress. I stand, refusing to sit. This is the day of my parents' funeral. "You lied to me!" I scream out and run to my bed. I destroy the perfectly made bed, throwing the blanket and pillows on the hard wooden floor. "You lied!" And as quickly as lightning, my dream transforms into the day my parents were brutally murdered. I am my real age and I try to kill the vampire, but he kills my parents first and grabs me by the hair. He wraps his arm around my waist. He snaps my neck and everything goes black.

I wake up.

My heart begins to slam against my chest and I find it hard to breathe. Tears are falling down my cheeks and sweat is at the base of my neck. I place my hand over my chest, feeling my heart. I sit up from the bed and look around the room I share with Jeremy and Aunt Jenna. I don't see any of them in their made beds. They must have left to the jobs they were assigned to do. At least some people in this family know how to follow the rules. Me on the other hand, not so much, especially since I woke up late. I sigh and lay back on the bed. I think of the vampire snapping my neck in my dream. I bring my free hand up to my neck, feeling my neck to see if it is broken, but that is stupid of me to do. If my neck is broken, I'd be dead.

I have a piercing headache in my temple and I bring my hand away from my neck and to my temple. I feel my stitches there and my fingers cringe away. I close my eyes and see my parents murdered by the vampire and hearing my mom whispering how she will always be there for me, but my mother lied to me. She isn't here for me. She is gone.

I open my eyes. I hate myself for dreaming a memory, because all memories do is eat at you, teasing you. Those memories make you fall asleep and wish that you can go back during that time when they were alive, and relive that single moment of laughter and love. But you are pushed back into reality, having to deal with the fact of never creating new memories of the person who you love. You are stuck in a world without them and are instantly surrounded by people who will never be the person you lost.

Now, I feel like running to the cemetery, just to see if maybe my mother will be there, waiting for me to arrive. Maybe she will be leaning against that tall tree, with the rotting leaves, smiling at me when I enter the cemetery. I wonder if she is mad, because it has been two weeks since I last visited my parents. Maybe my mom is just gone completely, stuck in a deep, dark place called oblivion. I honestly don't know. I don't think any of us truly want to know what happens to our loved ones. We don't want to know where they are, because deep inside, we are afraid. I am afraid of the truths that hold within the wide universe. The part that I fear the most out of every part out there, is the part of not knowing.

That is how I feel about this safe haven. I don't know much about it, other than the facts that it is to protect us from the vampires and that the schedule is the most tedious thing in the whole world. It is as if Caroline herself created it. With the safe haven, we are somewhere a few miles out of Mystic Falls, surrounded by nothing but grass and trees. Part of the safe haven is underground and that part of it makes me think of death. Whenever I think of death, I feel as if I am to throw up and faint. When I close my eyes, I instantly smell the musky scent of roses. Roses remind me of nothing but death, because those were the only flowers present at my parents' funeral to signify their endless love. It was the scent that danced within the air, filling our senses, so that was all we smelled. Now, it feels as if they are circling around me, stifling me with their smell of death. I take a few deep breaths and open my eyes. I try to focus on something else, but all I can think of is death now.

I think of how Uncle John and Richard Lockwood are both dead. Both were assholes, but neither of them deserved to die.

I think of how Alaric is in the ICU, struggling to survive, because a large part of the ceiling fell upon him.

I think of Liz Forbes and Carol Lockwood. Both are in the ICU as well, struggling to live in each breathing moment.

Now I think of me. How come I am not in the ICU or not dead? How come the only proof of me being in The Council Hall are stitches at my temple, stitches on my arm, and bruises throughout my body? How come I only stayed in the hospital for only two weeks? I suddenly feel dizzy and I push out every thought of death. I erase it completely from my mind and stuff it deeply in the little hope chest deep inside the depths of my brain. I throw the thought of death in there and mentally lock the hope chest. I throw the key far away, so I can never find it ever again.

Once I do that, I think of the structure of the safe haven. I remember Jeremy mentioning that as the safe haven was being built outside the outskirts of Mystic Falls, a few witches casted a spell upon the safe haven, so that no vampire can hear or smell us, as long as we are within the locked doors of the safe haven. So basically, the vampires are out there, roaming our town, wondering where in the hell we all disappeared to. I wonder if they think because of the human intellect mind, we somehow found a way to transport to a new and better dimension; a dimension without vampires. Or maybe they are thinking that other vampires found us and feasted upon us. Either way, they don't know where we are and we are still breathing in sweet oxygen.

I suppose the idea of the safe haven isn't a horrible idea. People who cannot fight in the war need to be safe, but what about those who can fight? Most of us were raised to fight against the vampires in the black of night. Now I feel like we are being cowards, hiding from the enemy, hoping the war will end soon. But the war will not come to an end, unless we fight back. Humanity needs to fight back and gain their hope back. If we stay locked up in this safe haven like caged rats, nothing will be solved. War will rage on and without a great number of people, our human soldiers are going to die without the help that we can rightfully give to them. We are letting our race fight on their own.

My father raised me to be brave and not wait for things to happen. If we wait, then things might get worse than they truly are now. We have to make something happen. It is like a bomb. If you don't set the bomb, then it won't do its job and explode like it should. If you just stare at the bomb with dead eyes, waiting for something to happen, it won't because you didn't do anything to set the bomb off.

I wonder what my dad would do if he was alive. He'd form a plan, a type of plan that would give him the sweet taste of victory. That is what we need. We need a plan. I think of who I can talk to about this. I am not yet part of The Council. Voting is still occurring until two o'clock and at three o'clock it will be announced who will be the new leader. I look at the clock that is on the white wall of the room I share with my family. It is a little past nine, so I have about six hours to figure out what in the hell to do. After those six hours, either Tyler Lockwood, Caroline Forbes, or I will be the new leader. I cross my fingers and hope for Caroline to be the new leader. She is strong, brave, and smart. She is bossy, but in a good and right way. She will make sure everything gets done. She will make sure that the people will stay safe. So with that, I cross my fingers hoping she wins. She will be the light to lead us out of this thick darkness.

After several minutes of thinking everything over, I decide that I have to speak with Carol. I know I need to speak with a Council Member, because they know more about the setup of the safe haven. I can get the answers that I need. Carol is the least injured of the two members that are still breathing, and I prefer to talk with the one who can actually talk back to me. Liz Forbes is on life support, with a tube down her throat to feed her. Because of this, Caroline isn't taking it well, especially since Liz is the only family member she has left. He father, Bill Forbes, passed away several years ago from a vampire attack. That broke Caroline completely and she tried to cling to her mother, trying to get close to her. But Liz was always busy with The Council, never having time for Caroline. Now Liz is hanging onto life, leaving Caroline left with only hope.

In the end, hope is what we all have left.

I take that into consideration.

I stand from my bed and quickly get dressed, pulling up a pair of black jeans on my legs. I grab a random short-sleeve blue shirt and place it on my body. I grab my black socks and put them on my feet. After that, I grab my black boots, pushing them on my feet. When I'm done, I quickly brush my hair and exit out of the small room that I share with Jeremy and Jenna. Each family is assigned one room to share and when Alaric releases from the medical department, he will join us in the claustrophobic room. I am thankful that Jeremy and Jenna actually follow the schedule that is given to us, because if they were here, they would be questioning me of where I am going and try to stop me from talking with Carol. I can understand why they would stop me. After all, Tyler demanded that no one can see his mother. But rules are made to be broken.

I walk quietly away from all the rooms. It feels as if this area is empty, because people are up and about within the safe haven, either in training in the basement, or doing whatever assignment they were given. I am supposed to be in training, but other things come first.

Last week, I overheard Tyler Lockwood speaking with his uncle, Mason Lockwood about guards within the safe haven. Tyler said how the guards will lock you up if you don't go to where you are assigned. When I heard what Tyler said, I thought it was ridiculous. But a few days later, a teenage boy skipped training was caught by a guard and he was locked up in solitary for a few days to learn his lesson. So, I keep that in mind while I make a turn to walk down the long hallway that will take me to the medical department. If I'm caught, my plan is out the door.

As I walk down the hallway, signs guide me to the medical department. All of this looks familiar as I remember this part of the safe haven where Jeremy helped me out of the medical department to our room. It feels as if that was yesterday when I was released from the hospital. It feels like almost yesterday the bomb exploded in The Council Hall.

Isn't it amazing how fast time flies by? You are living in one moment, but in the next, you are living in another. It is as if the time between those two moments cease to exist, leaving behind a scar that is only a faint memory.

I hear faint, small footsteps behind me and I feel the panic rise in my chest. They seem far behind me that they are not yet on the same hallway that I am, but they seem close that if they make one turn, they will see me. There is nowhere for me to hide, so I continue to walk, hoping that whoever is walking, is someone like me.

The footsteps get closer to closer and I force my feet to carry me a bit further. But then the other footsteps get stronger.

And then I listen.

I recognize those footsteps.

"Elena?"

I turn around and breathe out a long sigh when I see my best friend Bonnie a few feet away from me staring at me. I run a free hand through my soft hair. I then tuck a strand of loose hair behind my ear and smile softly at Bonnie. Her green eyes are narrowed in a questioning way and she takes a few more steps to get closer to me. "What are you doing?" she asks. I fold my arms over my chest. I bite down at the corner of my lip. "I'm, uh, on my way to the medical department."

Then worry fills Bonnie's eyes and she takes more steps to get closer to me. "Are you okay?" she asks. Her voice is at a high pitch. It is the way it gets when she is worried about something. "Are your stitches okay?"

I mentally touch the stitches that line up along my left temple. I feel the roughness of it and I shake my head, remembering she asked my a question. I pin my arms to my side and the suspicious Bonnie overtakes the worried Bonnie.

"Then why are you going to the medical department?"

I think of where this hallway leads to. This hallway only leads to the medical department and then I am the one who is curious. "Why are you going to the medical department?" I ask her question back to her. Bonnie rolls her eyes with annoyance.

"Apparently the medical department is busy. They needed an extra witch and they called me down to help."

I furrow my eyebrows and cross my arms over my chest again. "What do you mean the medical department is busy? What's wrong?"

Bonnie's teeth tug at her bottom lip. She folds her arms over her chest. She breathes out a long breath. "What's wrong?" I ask again, after moments of her not replying.

"They want me to find a way to heal Alaric and Liz. Apparently they are getting worse."

My heart freezes when I hear about Alaric getting worse.

"Why am I only learning that my uncle is getting worse now?" I take a step to her. Anger and sadness are taking over all of my emotions.

"Dr. Fell didn't want you guys to worry. Jenna's pregnant and it's not good to hear that your husband is not doing any better. You just experienced a horrible incident. Dr. Fell didn't want to make anything worse."

"She's making it worse by not telling us anything, Bonnie!"

"Look," Bonnie says and she holds both of her hands out in surrender. "I just learned about Alaric and Liz now. You know I will do all I can to help them, Elena. I promise you I will do all I can."

I nod my head, feeling tears poking at the rim of my eyes. "Okay," I say and continue to nod my head as if that will convince me that they both will get better. "Okay," I say one last time.

Bonnie and I are both quiet for a moment and then I remember that Bonnie said that the medical department only wants her to heal Alaric and Liz, not Carol.

"So, I assume Carol is better than them?" I ask. This is good news. This gives me hope that Carol can give me all the answers I need.

Bonnie shrugs her shoulders and thinks for moment. "I guess. They didn't tell me anything about Carol and I didn't ask. I guess if they didn't ask me to heal her, then she must be doing better."

I nod and smile a small smile. "Good."

I turn around, my back to Bonnie. I begin to walk, but then Bonnie grabs at my arm and turns me around. "Hey, I answered your question. Time to answer mine. Why are you going to the medical department?"

I pull my arm out of her grip. I breathe out a long sigh, knowing what Bonnie will think when I tell her what I am doing. Bonnie is more logical and reasonable than I will ever be and she will one hundred percent be against my plan.

"I am going to talk with Carol Lockwood," I say.

Bonnie furrows her eyebrows at me in confusion, as if I have spoken Chinese to her. She does a weird smile thing. It is the kind of nice smile you give when you think someone is crazy, but you don't want them to think that you think they are crazy. "What?" Bonnie asks. "Are you crazy, Elena?" Apparently she wants me to know that I am crazy. "Tyler finds out and you're dead."

"Bonnie, I need answers, okay? Carol is apparently the only one who is well enough to speak with me about this safe haven. I need to know all of her plans and what this safe haven consists of. The war has begun and there are other humans out there fighting. We need to help them and fight back. Don't you want to fight back?"

Bonnie is quiet for a moment. I know her. She is having that little debate deep in her mind, deciding on what she truly believes in. Then she opens her mouth to speak. "You know I want to fight back, Elena. I just - No one else needs to get hurt by this war. The vampires already killed twenty-five people in The Council Hall, plus the people who were left behind in Mystic Falls."

Bonnie and I are silent again. She clasps her light caramel colored hands together and averts her eyes to her hands. She begins to play with her fingers and I touch the stitches on my temple.

"I realize that, Bon," I say. Bonnie looks back up to me. Her eyes are telling me something, something that I do not know yet. "But we have to take a chance, you know that."

Bonnie nods her head in reply. "Fine," she says. "Okay, but we have to be careful, okay? You have to tell me all that she tells you." Bonnie smiles as she speaks and I smile back to her

"Of course. You'll be the first I will tell."

Bonnie's smile doesn't falter. "Good."

After that, Bonnie and I walk together to the medical department in silence. When we arrive, the smells of latex gloves and anesthetic are so overpowering, I feel a slight cough forming in my chest. I clear my throat and breathe in the anesthetic air. I immediately regret that, because I begin to cough. Bonnie looks over at me and raises an eyebrow. "I'm fine," I say to her.

"Okay," she says and nods her heads over to the two nurses who are staring at her. One has thick, bright red hair, pulled up in a tight ponytail. Her eyes are a dark, cool brown, that makes it look as if she has no pupil whatsoever. She stares at Bonnie with impatience. The other has short, curly blonde hair that stops at her chin. Unlike the nurse with the bright red hair, she appears nicer and more patient. "Those are the witches that called me down."

"Well, you better go before Ariel over there throws a dinglehopper at you."

Bonnie laughs at my joke and I continue to stare at the nurse with the bright red hair. "Yeah, she has no patience whatsoever. We must overcome it." Then her face becomes serious and she places a hand on my shoulder. "I promise, I will do all I can," she says and I know she is immediately talking about Alaric. But I have faith in Bonnie. I have faith that Bonnie will help him in every way possible.

"I know. Thank you, Bonnie."

"Of course, Elena."

I watch Bonnie walk away from me and to the nurses. She talks with them and at each moment of the conversation, her voice turns more serious than it was before. She gives looks at me and I realize that something isn't right. I continue to watch her as she talks with the two nurses, but then she is taken to the back of the medical department where the inpatients stay.

I then realize that is where Carol Lockwood would be. I begin to walk down the long walking area that would lead to the back of the medical department, but as I walk, nurses look my way, their eyes flashing with sympathy. I hate that look. I hate when people give me that look. As I continue to walk, a nurse with short, dark brown hair and blue eyes walks to me. She smiles brightly at me, as if I am a little, innocent kid. She stops in front of me, blocking my path to the back of the medical department. She opens her mouth to speak and before she says anything, I already know what she is going to ask me.

"Elena, how are you doing?"

I'm psychic.

"I'm doing good," I reply. I nod my head as if that will convince not only her of my answer, but me as well. I don't know how it is possible, but her smile brightens, as if I am a young child, just learning how to say their ABC's.

"That's great."

Yeah, pretty great.

"I don't know if you remember me, but I was your nurse when you were in here."

As she speaks to me of when I was in the hospital, I look around the medical department. It is chilly and I feel a shiver shoot down my spine like a glass of water is being poured down it. There are two women at the front desk of the medical department. Both of them are on the phone, engaged it what seems to be a heated conversation. One of the woman's neck is turning bright red with anger, along with the tips of her ears. She reminds me of how cartoon characters appear when they are mad. The only thing she is missing is the steam escaping from her ears. The other woman is slightly screaming into the phone. She screams loud enough to show her anger, but quiet enough not to disturb a lot of people. "We have nowhere to place her!" After a few moments she says angrily, "Yes, the witch arrived." She clenches her jaw to the side and then she looks up. She catches me looking at her and I feel my cheeks flush with heat. My heart is beating in my chest. Something's not right. I look back at the nurse who is talking to me. I nod my head at her several times to show her that I was listening to her.

"Yeah," I say. "I remember you. You're name is…" I stare at her face, studying her features, trying to remember the name that went along with that face. S… Her name started with an S. "Sharon," I say quickly. It is like a light switch flipped on in my brain and I immediately remember her.

The nurse's smile grows even bigger and she tucks a single curl of her hair behind her ear. "Yes," she says. "I'm very happy you remember me. I just wanted you to know, that I understand the amount of pressure you must be feeling."

Oh, God. Please tell me she's not going to talk about me being on The Council.

"But I think you will be a great leader for The Council."

I feel a tight smile paste itself upon my lips. I bite the inside of my cheek, not wanting to say anything that would offend Sharon. She continues to talk and I wonder how she could not notice how uncomfortable I am. I do my best to block her soft voice out, not wanting to hear how she voted for me and how her brother and daughter voted for me too. However, when she mentions my father, I turn the volume of her voice up.

"Your father was a great leader. You know, I voted for him like I did for you."

I smile slightly at her words. I look down at my shoes. I'm wearing my favorite. My black boots. I look back up at Sharon. "Thank you, Sharon. That's very nice of you. If you don't mind, though, I have to get going. I wanted to visit Carol Lockwood."

At the mention of Carol's name, the sweet, big smile upon Sharon's lips before disappears as if someone ripped her smile right off her lips. Sharon licks at her lips and her blue eyes look down to her shoes. I feel a horrible, pinch at the pit of my stomach. My heart is slamming against my chest as everything begins to connect like a puzzle.

There is a reason why Tyler didn't want anyone to see his mom.

There is a reason why Bonnie was asked to try to heal only two of the people who were injured in the bombing at The Council Hall.

There is a reason why the nurses were yelling in the phone.

Sharon's eyes finally find the courage to look into my eyes again. Her face paled a bit and her eyes are a bit glassy, as if they are made entirely out of glass. She opens her mouth to speak, but before she says anything, I already know what she has to say.

I speak before she does.

"Carol Lockwood is dead."

It is as though time is set on fire, ceasing time from beginning with, leaving only silence to click in the air. After I say that four letter sentence, I don't know how I feel. I wish I can say that there is some type of emotion bubbling inside of my soul, but I feel absolutely nothing. Or perhaps there is some type of emotion in there, but I can't define it. The emotion is the type of emotion where you can't cry, laugh, or smile. Instead you think hard about life, trying to understand what is happening. The shock of her death is overwhelming and it makes me feel as if I am a deer in headlights, confused and scared. I want to cry. I want to desperately cry just to feel something, but warm tears don't prick at my eyes. Instead they stay far away hidden, wanting nothing to do with this single moment.

The air around me ceases to exist as the walls slowly begin to close in on me like hands clapping. A fire burns within the depths of my lungs and I am brought back to that night of when the bomb was set off in The Council Hall. I remember Carol's crystal blue orbs looking at me with a strong look of confidence. She held her head up high, in a way to show that whatever it was in the world that she would have to face, she could handle it and survive. She was always on her guard and I thought she was a fighter. I suppose when you reach the blinding part of life, the part where you can no longer see the layers of life, death swoops in and takes you. I wonder if this is what happened to Carol and she wasn't as strong as I thought of her to be. She couldn't shake death off. It lingered in the distance too long to shake off.

And then I think of Alaric. What if this happens to Alaric? He has been in the hospital for a couple of weeks, fighting death with his strength. I take a few deep breaths and close my eyes. Bonnie. She will take care of him. She will make sure he survives.

A hand gently settles on my right shoulder and I open my eyes at the unwanted touch. I look up, meeting Sharon's blue orbs. I shrug her hand off me, taking a large step away from her. Sharon stares at me with a look of pure sympathy and I do not know how I feel as she stares at me. I think she is waiting for me to say something or act in some way, because she is giving me that _look. _It is the same look Aunt Jenna offered to me when she told me of my parents. After her words escaped from her pink lips, I didn't respond. After it sunk deep inside of the thick tissues of my brain, like a large rock sinking deep below in a lake, the tears were uncontrollable. Maybe it is unnerving for people like Sharon and Aunt Jenna for people to not respond in the right way when they are presented with horrible news. But honestly, I don't know how to respond to this. Something in me is stopping me from responding and all I can feel is confusion.

I feel like asking _why_, but I already know the answer. The medical department isn't as strong and advanced as they think they are. Sure they have some witches, but apparently the witches are not enough to save the lives of others. The deep wounds that Carol had couldn't heal, because perhaps her body gave up. And I don't know why I think of this, but I think of the vampires. For the first time since my existence, I envy them. I envy the part of them that can heal on their own. That is what we need. Maybe we just don't have to see the vampires as our enemies. We can see them as our source of survival as well. Our enemies, but our healing system.

Sharon parts her lips, as if she yearns to speak to me. But as quickly as she opened her mouth, it closes shut. She is having that emotional battle, deciding on what she will do to help me. I blink my eyes a few times. Everything is moving slowly and I want it to move faster. I want to skip to tomorrow and see what tomorrow has to bring, but then I am afraid to skip to tomorrow, because someone else might be dead.

_Dead_. It is such a peculiar word. Another word that is even more peculiar is _death_. Both of these words have such strong meanings. But the way the words are pronounced makes your spine shiver from fear. Nobody wants to be _dead_ and nobody wants _death _to take them. Is that how Carol felt too when death was around the corner and swooped her in?

_ Carol is dead._

What were her thoughts on her death-bed?

_ Carol is dead._

What did it feel like? Was she in pain? Was it quick? What did she see?

_ Carol is dead._

I feel my throat close up tightly as if someone wrapped their fingers around it. Silence surrounds me from everywhere and I can feel the silence mocking me. Everything is falling apart slowly, but the silence make sure it stays. The silence makes sure it will never go away. I open my mouth to speak, but nothing comes out. The silence is winning and I don't want it to win. I never want it to win. I open my mouth again, yearning for the dreadful silence to come to a quick end, but the words refuse to articulate again. The silence gets louder and louder. Time is frozen and I wish someone would fix it. I try a third time to speak, but instead of hearing my voice, I hear another's

"It was your job to keep her alive!"

Tyler Lockwood's. The rough voice belongs to Tyler Lockwood.

I quickly turn around as Tyler's angry footsteps stomp inside of the medical department, eager to end the anger that is building at each passing moment. His footsteps invade my ears and that is all I hear, or perhaps, I hear my own heart. His arms are stiffly pinned to his sides, making his shoulders tense at the base of his neck. His fingers are folded within the palm of his hands. His hands are shaking from clenching his fingers too tightly. His knuckles are as white as bone and I know he will use those white knuckles to punch someone until the life in them is no more. He is not very good at handling his temper.

Caroline's sweet voice calls Tyler's name. A few seconds later, she enters inside the medical department, tears running down her cheeks quickly. Her eyes meet mine and then her eyes meet another pair of eyes behind me. I turn around, Bonnie is there and she gives me the permission to get involved.

"This medical department is bullshit!" Tyler yells at the top of his lungs. He walks past all the people who wait in the waiting room and pick up an empty green cushion chair besides an elderly man. He throws the chair into the white wall and the chair falls to the silver white tiling floor, making a loud, clanking noise.

"Tyler!" Caroline screams and runs to him. She places a single hand on his tensed shoulder, rubbing his shoulder gently as if he is a little kid who is troubled. "Stop it okay? Just Stop." In an instant, Tyler pushes Caroline off him with great force. Caroline falls down to the floor and she lets out a single yelp. A nurse quickly rushes to her aid and helps her stand. Caroline begins to cry even more than she did before. Her eyes meet mine and I can tell that she is pleading with me to not fight with Tyler, but I don't care. All I feel is anger inside me for what Tyler did to Caroline. He should have never of done that.

I walk to Tyler with my hands clenched into tight fists. I am ready to punch him if he decides to do anything else. I walk to him so that we are face to face. I clench my jaw to my side, feeling the anger attacking me like a rabid dog. Tyler glares at me with dark orbs and I glare back. I extend a single finger out and jab it into his hard chest. I push my finger tightly into his flesh and make sure my fingernail digs tightly into his skin, even though he is wearing a shirt. "You need to leave," I say. My voice is stern and low. It sounds as cold as snow. It sounds perfect. I narrow my eyes at him. "I understand that it's hard to lose a parent, but you can't act like this. You need to calm down, Tyler. You need to-"

Tyler tries to throw a single punch in my direction, but I am faster than him. I move out-of-the-way as quickly as he tries to punch me. He misses and I am thankful. I breathe in a deep breath and thank myself for being a small size so I can move fast.

Tyler is enraged that his fist missed my skin. His face turns as red as fire. The base of his neck looks as if all of his blood is rushing to his head, because his neck is red as a single drop of blood. Tyler licks his lips and tries to punch me again. I kick him hard in the chest. Tyler groans from the impact and falls to the ground. While he lies on the ground, I run to him, extending my hands out in tight fists. My hands are so tightly clenched together that I can feel my fingernails dig inside of my palm.

Tyler quickly stands, but his balance is off. That is when I realize that he has been drinking. His breath smells of thick bourbon and he almost tumbles to the ground when he tries for a punch. But, it is a punch either way. I block his thick fist with my elbow, ignoring the throbbing pain that it creates. With my free hand, I punch him straight in the throat as hard as I can. Tyler tumbles down to the ground as if he is a huge tower ceasing to exist. He begins to gasp, opening his mouth and then closing it. He reminds me of a fish, taken out of the fresh, cold water and forced to lay in the hot dry sun. His gasping fills my ears. Tyler brings his hands up to wrap at his neck. He rubs it, trying to catch the oxygen that dances within the air. I feel guilt stir in my chest as I watch him try to catch oxygen, but then I remember what he did to Caroline and the guilt washes away like a stain in a shirt.

"Elena!" Caroline screams at me. She is shaking slightly as she stares at Tyler. Her tears are over and all that is left are the arms over her chest. She shakes her head at me. "Why did you do that? Yeah, he was being horrible, but he didn't deserve that!"

"Caroline," I say her name softly. Her blue eyes look up at me and glare. There are dried tear stains on her cheeks. "He pushed you down to the ground, Caroline. He was scaring people. He was acting completely insane." I don't know how, but I keep my voice calm.

Caroline bites down at her bottom lip. "He is grieving over both of his parents! I thought you of all people would understand that, Elena!"

"Oh, how inconsiderate of me!" I say. My voice is filled with sarcasm as I speak. I am so angry with Caroline. Of course she is more concerned about Tyler than the fact that he pushed her down to the ground. "I should have known that when you lose both of your parents you are supposed to push down people you care about and attack people! My apologies! Allow this to be my chance since I missed out on this amazing opportunity!" I am screaming at the top of my lungs and I do not care who hears. I don't care what people think. I don't care what will happen. All I care about right now is my anger. It increases as the seconds tick by and I feel as if I am going to explode.

"Elena," Bonnie says behind me. She takes a step to me and places a hand on my arm. "Caroline." Her green eyes look over at Caroline. She stares at both of us, studying us as we listen to her voice. "Let's not fight. Caroline, Tyler was acting like an asshole. He pushed you. That shouldn't be allowed and you know that yourself. Don't put up with that. Elena, people handle things differently, you know that."

And I do. I do know that.

I breathe in a deep breath and pull my arm out of Bonnie's weak grasp. I look over at Tyler. He struggles to breathe and his neck is red from where I punched him. A death glare is settled upon me and he opens his mouth to speak, but Caroline walks to him and pulls him on his arm to stop him. She looks at me again. Her eyes are apologetic and I understand that she cares greatly for Tyler. He was there for her many of times. I think of what my father said of being the better person. I say that in my head over and over again.

_Be the better person. Be the better person. Be the better person._

Finally, for what felt like hours of silence, I listen to those words and open my mouth.

"Look, Tyler," I say. I take a step to him. As I walk to him, I look down at my knuckles. I feel the throbbing pain in my knuckles now. My knuckles are a bright red, but other than that, they are okay. I look back up at Tyler. I give him a small smile. "I'm sorry I had to do that to you." With my hand I point to his throat. As I do so, Tyler brings his hands up to cup his throat. "You were losing control and I had to make sure that you didn't hurt anyone else. I'm really sorry."

Tyler nods his head. He licks his lip and removes his hand from his throat. "It's fine, Elena." But I can sense that he is lying. It's not really fine. It never really is fine.

Caroline whispers something in Tyler's ear so he can only hear what she has to say. He nods in response, but the whole time Caroline whispers in his ear, Tyler's hard eyes stare at me. I stare back and as I do, I think. I think of how Tyler, Caroline, and I are going to be apart of The Council. I think of how The Council would talk among each other, in a way to form ideas, and how to make everything better. I also know that Tyler is not a big fan on this safe haven, so he might like my idea of actually breaking free of this building and killing some vampires. So, I take a chance and open my mouth.

"Tyler and Caroline, I need to speak with both of you."

Then I think of Bonnie. Bonnie is one of the most powerful witches, because she is a Bennett witch. She is not only powerful, but she is extremely smart. She could form more ideas to help us in ways that I will never be able to describe. I turn around to look at Bonnie. "I need to speak with you too."

"What do you need to speak with us about?" Caroline asks. Her eyebrows close together in confusion. I offer her a small smile and look around the hospital. Some nurses went back to work. Susan went back to work, checking on patients. However, there is a nurse with bright red hair that stares at me, her amber eyes look as if they are on fire. But then she quickly looks away when she notices that I caught her staring at me. She quickly walks down the hall, making a right, vanishing within the medical department.

"We need to speak in private," I say. I look between Caroline, Tyler, and Bonnie. I bite at the corner of my lip. "It is about The Council and safe haven. We really need to discuss some things."

I roll my eyes. Is he serious? But by the way he looks at me with the same look that his father gave me on the day of the bombing, I know he is.

"I was going to speak with your mom, Tyler, but." I pause for a moment, recollecting the correct words in my brain. I don't say anything else. Tyler gets what I am trying to say.

Caroline and Tyler both nod their head, agreeing with me. I turn to look at Bonnie. She smiles at me. "I want to, but I have to still work on Alaric and Liz."

At the mention of Caroline's mom, Caroline freezes. She looks at Bonnie and parts her lips. "How is she doing?" Her voice is no longer the happy voice that I am so used to hearing. It is the voice that she used when she asked her mom how her father was doing. In reply, Liz told her that her father finally passed away.

Bonnie shrugs her shoulders. "A bit better. I have to work on both for a bit longer. Where will you guys be meeting? I'll go there when I can."

I look back at Tyler and Caroline. "We need to go somewhere that is safe from the guards." Tyler whispers that sentence and I nod my head. I think of how the guards like everything in order and how they are so controlling. I try to think of where the guards would stay away from, but soon, it is Caroline who is the one that comes up with the idea.

"The supply room in the basement," she says and as she says it, she looks over at Tyler. A light blush creeps up on her cheeks. I feel confused at the moment, trying to understand why Tyler would smirk at the mention of the supply room in the basement and why Caroline would blush. And then I get it. And then I feel as if I am going to throw up, because that is so disgusting.

"My God, Caroline," Bonnie says and Caroline laughs. "See, I'm very unpredictable."

"Okay," I say in a long tone. I nod my head and tuck a strand of loose hair behind my ear. "We'll go there." I look at Bonnie. "You know where that is?"

Bonnie nods her head. "Yeah. I had to go down there a few times to get some grimoires for my instructor. I'll meet you as soon as I can." Bonnie quickly offers Caroline and me both smiles and she walks to the back of the medical department where all the inpatients would be. I know that is where Alaric and Liz are and I hope that she can take care of them.

"Why do we need to speak in private?" Caroline asks after a few moments.

I think of the guards and what they would do if each and every one of them found out what I plan to tell them. They will be extremely pissed that a group of people are doing something that they don't want to happen. I think about how they would punish us or how they would make sure that none of us become leader of The Council. I look up, my eyes meeting Tyler's. I think for the first time, he actually understands what I am thinking. He nods his head and looks at Caroline. He looks back at me again and says, "Because if we don't, they'll probably kill us."

Caroline is silent for a moment. "Oh," is all she says.

* * *

Caroline and Tyler lead me to the basement. I walk in silence as I follow them, listening to our footsteps as we walk. Caroline and Tyler whisper to each other. They whisper so quietly so that I can't hear them. I lick at my lips and study the interesting features of the safe haven. There are no windows to the outside world and every wall is a dark gray. It is quite depressing and I don't like it. Someone should place flowers throughout the safe haven to make it somewhat beautiful.

We make a left turn and walk down a long corridor. Caroline and Tyler stop whispering to each other and are as silent as a mime. I stare at them for a few moments, watching Caroline's blonde hair bounce of her shoulders as she walks. She walks as if she is floating, Tyler on the other hand walks like a caveman. It sure as hell fits his character.

We stop walking when we reach a plain back door. Tyler extends his hand out and touches the silver door knob. He turns it to the right, but it refuses to turn. It is locked.

"Shit," Tyler curses. He tries to open the door again, but the doorknob refuses to turn.

"They probably realized that people were going inside of the basement," Caroline suggests.

Tyler ignores Caroline's statement and begins to dig through his pocket. He pulls out a pocket knife and open it wide, looking at every kind of sharp object that is in it. He touches the point of each, deciding which is best to pick the lock on the doorknob.

I breathe out a sigh of annoyance. I walk past Caroline and to Tyler. "Let me do it," I say and before Tyler responds, I swap the pocket knife out of his hands. I look at each sharp object, ignoring Tyler calling me names. I pick the small knife with the slight curve at the top of it. I jam the knife through the keyhole, wiggling the knife in the hole. After a few more seconds, I hear a click and I pull the knife out of the doorknob. I give the pocket knife back to Tyler and wrap my fingers around the doorknob. I open the door. A whiff of cool air breathes on us as the door opens all the way and I shiver. I bring my hands up to my bare arms and rub on them. I wish I wore a long-sleeved shirt.

Tyler walks in front of me and pulls out a flashback from his back pocket. The flashlight is the color of gray fish scales and he clicks on the black button in the middle of the flashback, turning the flashlight on. He points the flashlight in the doorway, lighting the darkness. The stairs are metal stairs and they shine brightly against the LED flashlight. I look over at Caroline, but her eyes are settled on the doorway of the basement. Tyler grabs Caroline's hand and he walks in the basement first, leading Caroline. Her fingers are still intertwined with Tyler's fingers as she walks down the stairs. I follow in after her. I walk on the first step of the stairs and turn around to close the black door. When I do that, I slowly turn around and walk down the stairs, finding the light of the flashlight fading far away at each passing moment.

My hands extend out, searching for a handrail, but I can't find one. I inhale the cold air around me and cautiously walk down the stairs. I feel my heartbeat against my chest and in my head, I imagine myself falling down to the ground and break open my neck. Soon, the light of the flashlight vanishes and comes too far away from me. I can't see in front of me and I feel my breath catch in my throat. I curse mentally at Tyler. I know for a fact that he is taking the flashlight away from me on purpose. He is probably doing this for some type of payback or just to be an asshole in general.

I think of calling Tyler's name or even Caroline's name, but I know Tyler will find joy to beat through his veins if my voice weakly calls out their names. I decide to take each step at once, finding the way down to the last step. As I walk down the stairs, the air around me gets colder and colder. I feel myself shiver.

"Tyler, put the flashlight on the stairs," I hear Caroline's soft voice say in the distance. "She can't see anything."

"I'm fine," I say, but that is a lie. I'm not fine. It is not okay that I can't see where I'm walking, but I just have to handle it. Adrenaline rushes under my skin when I miss a step and nearly tumble down the stairs. But I somehow gain my balance and I am alright.

"Tyler!" Caroline yells. "Give her some light!"

Tyler doesn't give me any light. Instead I have to walk down the stairs by touch. Soon, I reach the last step and I stand on firm ground. I am thankful I no longer have to walk down the stairs. I breathe in a deep breath, trying to slow down my heartbeat.

Bright light flickers in my eyes and I know it is Tyler being an ass. I cover my eyes with the palm of my hand and think about telling Tyler off. But I know that if I do that, Tyler would fight back, and nothing would be done. Tyler already knows that he is an asshole. It will only boost his ego if I tell him he is.

Tyler moves the light out of my eyes and I hear footsteps walk to me. They are Caroline's footsteps. "You okay, Lena?" Caroline asks me softly. I fake a small smile and nod my head.

"Yeah. Even though Tyler is a selfish asshole, I'm okay."

Caroline laughs softly at what I said and a couple of moments later, I say, "So where is this supply room?"

Caroline points her finger to the right. Tyler is already walking to where she pointed, with the flashlight as his guide. Caroline and I follow him, walking side by side. She begins to have some small talk with me, well actually, it is complicated small talk, because she speaks about Matt.

"So you and Matt, huh?" she asks and I know she is referring to when I broke up with him about a month ago. I breathe out a sigh. I have already talked to Jenna about this when I broke up with him. I really have to speak about it with Caroline too?

"What about it?" I ask, playing it cool.

"He really did love you, Elena."

And here we go. Here is the part where people make me feel like I am a total bitch, because I broke up with Matt.

"I know," I say, but my voice is a whisper. I look up and watch Tyler open the door of the supply room.

"But you don't love him?"

My arms cross over my chest. I turn my head and look at Caroline. Although it is dark in the basement, her eyes are still a light, perfect blue. Her eyes look considerate, but they are confused. I know what she is probably thinking. Matt Donovan, the perfect boy for me. Matt Donovan, the quarterback. Matt Donovan, knowing how to fight very well because Alaric also was his instructor. Matt Donovan, smart and unselfish. I already know all of this. Matt is amazing and sweet and kind, but as time went on, the spark that we had burned out and nothing was there anymore.

"I care about him," I say after a couple of minutes and nod my head to convince Caroline. I turn the table on her with Tyler. "What about Tyler?" I ask. "Do you love him?"

Caroline smiles slightly. She looks up at Tyler as he walks inside the supply room. "Yeah, I think so," she says. However, her voice doesn't sound as certain as she speaks.

"You think so?" I question her.

When my mom spoke about my dad to me, she always told me how much she loved him. She told me that from the moment she met him, she knew right away that she loved him. There was no doubt in her mind. She wanted to spend all her time with him every waking moment. She said about how there was so much passion in that love between them. She said that my dad made her extremely happy and made her feel things that she never thought she would feel. Her made her angry, but he made her happy. He made her question herself and made her wonder. That is what I think love is. Love is supposed to be definite and passionate. But when I look at Caroline and Tyler, their relationship is only lust. Maybe what Caroline is feeling is only lust and not love. But I am not going to say that to her. She will only get mad if I say that.

Caroline opens her mouth to defend herself, but before she speaks, Tyler does. "What are you guys talking about?" he asks. "Hurry up. I want to get this over with."

I roll my eyes at Tyler's words. I look over at Caroline. "What a charmer," I whisper to her sarcastically and walk inside of the supply room with Caroline following me. A light flickers on in the supply room, illuminating everything within the room.

The supply room is the size of a large master bedroom, with shelves circling around the room, with supplies piled up neatly upon them. There are hundreds of guns, vervain bombs, vervain, wooden bullets, crossbows, grimoires, arrows, and knives. I stare at the weapons and touch my hand on a crossbow. It is cool and smooth against my fingertips and I look over at Tyler and Caroline. "So this is where all the supplies are?"

Tyler nods his head. "At least we know where everything is when the vampires attack." Caroline breathes out a long sigh as Tyler speaks. I stare at him and feel myself nod my head, because he is right. I was wondering where supplies would be hidden, because each and everyone of us need a weapon to fight against the vampires. These supplies have become my new best friend.

A few moments pass and silence surrounds us. I look at the weapons some more and Tyler opens his mouth. "So, Gilbert, what is it? What are you proposing that we do?"

I look away from the great amount of supplies and look at Tyler. I wrap my arms up together like a pretzel, leaning my back against the cool, steel wall. "Something need to be done," I say. I lick at my lips. "We can't sit around and wait for things to happen while war is raging on."

I look between Tyler and Caroline. Caroline looks at Tyler for a moment, then she looks back at me.

"I agree with you, Gilbert," Tyler says and I give him a mean look as he speaks. "But the guards out there don't like that idea." He speaks to me as if I am a little kid, understanding nothing in this world. I hate when people do that to me. I hate it a lot. "My father planned the guards to be the best soldiers out there until the leader of The Council is chosen. They are supposed to be our leaders and tell us what to do. My dad knew that one day, The Council would get destroyed."

"Why won't the guards let us fight in the war?" I ask Tyler. "If they are guards, wouldn't they want to fight back even more than us? Isn't that what they are trained to do?"

Tyler shrugs at his muscular shoulders. He turns his back to me and walks to his right. He picks up a gun and holds it in his hands. He aims it at a steel wall and presses on the trigger, but nothing happens.

"You would think so, right?" he says. He aims the gun again at the wall, but this time, he squints one eye close. "I even talked with the general of the guards."

"And who's the general?" I ask. I unfold my arms and pin them to my sides. I turn my back to Tyler as well and look at the weapons that are laid out. I find hundreds of knives lined up in a pile and I pick one up. Each knife has a black case over it and the one I pick up has one too. I pull the black case off it and examine the sharp blade. I allow the pad of my pointer finger to tap at the sharp tip of the knife. It breaks through a small layer of skin. I run my hands along the rigid side, feeling how sharp it is. When I am done, I place the black case back on it and stuff it in my back pocket.

I hear the door open and my heart skips a beat, afraid the guards found us. But when I see the face of Bonnie, my heart calms down.

"Connor Jordan," she says and as she says that, two more people follow Bonnie inside of the supply room. It is Jeremy and Matt. I take in a deep breath as my eyes meet Matt's blue eyes, but I quickly look away and look at Bonnie. I think of asking her about Alaric, but then I remember she said a name.

"Who?" I ask.

"Connor Jordan," she repeats. "He is the general of the guards."

Then I look at Jeremy. "Isn't he your instructor? The other real life destined vampire hunter?"

Jeremy nods his head. "Yeah. By day asshole instructor, by night douchebag leader."

My stitches at my temple begin to itch and I have the temptation to scratch at it, but I resist it and think about what we can do.

"Then we have to figure out how to sneak past them and see what is going on in Mystic Falls," I say with a shrug of my shoulders.

"Are you insane?" I hear Matt ask me. He is behind me and I turn around to look at him. I knit my eyebrows together. "What do you mean am I insane?"

"We can't just go out there, Elena," he says.

"And why not?" I ask.

"Because it is a suicide mission, Elena," I hear Caroline say to me. I turn around to look at her. I stare at her for a few moments. "What?" I ask at her. "I am thinking of a way to make sure that this damn war ends faster."

"But I don't want you to get hurt in the long run," she says to me. She offers me a small smile and takes a step to me. I take a step away from her. "Everyone is going to get hurt," I reply. "It's a war. It happens."

I look at everyone besides Matt and Caroline. I don't care if they are against this idea. I am too stubborn to let this go. "We have all of these weapons." I extend both of my hands out and point at the weapons that circle around us. "We have guns," I walk to the guns and pat my hands on them. "We have crossbows." I walk to them and pick one up. I toss it to Jeremy and he catches it swiftly with one hand. "We have stakes." I pick one up and hold it tightly in my right hand. "If we do this together, we can fight back and win."

"I think you forgot something else," Bonnie says and walks to me. She takes the stake out of my hand and places it back on the shelf. "We have a witch. I have a lot of power now, but I can even get more of it."

Tyler's eyebrows scrunches up together like a caterpillar. "How?" he asks, looking at Bonnie. His dark eyes stare at her for a moment, trying to understand every word she is saying.

"I can gain the power of all of my ancestors," Bonnie replies. She closes her eyes for a moment and opens them again. When she does, her earthy green orbs look at me. "But I can only do that if I have some backup. I have to go to the cemetery where all of my ancestors are buried. All I have to do is harness their power. After I do that, my powers will multiply greatly. But it might take several hours."

As she speaks, thoughts circle within my mind. I feel the dreadful feeling of worry, in fear that if Bonnie does this, she won't be okay. "And what happens after you gain all of that power?" I ask.

"Then I will have a lot of more power and it will be easier to help kill these vampires. Elena, I am strong enough to do this, you know that."

Bonnie Bennett. One of my best friends since I was in diapers. She is brave, smart, and the strongest person I have ever met. I don't doubt her being able to get through this, but I am afraid of the outcomes. I don't want her to suffer, because of the vampires. She has already been through much, especially since her mom left her when she was a kid. But, when I open my mouth, I don't say she shouldn't do it. I say the opposite.

"If you feel you can do it, Bonnie, then it is worth a chance."

Bonnie smiles at me and nods her head. I smile back at her.

"We don't just have a witch," Tyler says. "We have werewolves. My family has the werewolf bloodline, and although I don't have it activated yet, Mason does."

I feel my face grimace at the mention of Mason Lockwood. Mason Lockwood is Tyler's uncle and Richard Lockwood's younger brother. I don't know much about him, but that he is a complete dick like Tyler.

"Mason also has friends who are werewolves. The werewolves hate the vampires."

"You want to bring Mason?" I ask him.

"What?" Tyler asks with a shrug of shoulders. "Mason has faster reflex skills than all of us. Give him a stake and he can kill two vampires as fast as two men can. He's strong and he would love to have some vampire blood on his hands."

I suck in my bottom lip. I fold my arms over my chest. I know that we need people like Mason and if he has more people who are like him, that would be even better. But Mason is an asshole, thinking only of himself. I look around at Bonnie. She gives me a small nod and I breathe out a long breath. I look at Tyler and clench my jaw to the side.

"Fine," I say. "You have to speak with him, though and make sure he understands that we are a team."

Tyler nods. A wide grin spreads across his lips like a Cheshire cat. "All we want is a good killing, Gilbert."

"Hell yeah," Jeremy says. I swap around to look at him. "I'm going to."

I shake my head. "No you're not."

Jeremy takes a step to me and slightly raises his eyebrows. "Yeah, I am."

"You might get hurt," I say. "I don't want you to see all that, Jeremy. You stay here and be our lookout."

"God, Elena. No. I have better reflexes than Mason. I was born to kill vampires, you know that. I am faster than all of you. I can do this."

"Jer," Bonnie's soft voice speaks. Bonnie walks to Jeremy and places her hand on Jeremy's cheek. "Elena and I don't want you to get hurt."

"And I won't forgive myself if you two get hurt. I am going." Jeremy stares at Bonnie for a few moments and then he looks up at me. "And there is nothing that you can do to stop me."

I hold his stare. I inhale a deep breath. I bite my bottom lip. I then nod my head. I nod it a couple of times before I speak. "Fine," I say, "but you are to be careful."

Jeremy smiles the same smile he gives me whenever we are fighting against each other. "Of course, Lena."

"So, I guess this is what we are going to do," I say. I run my hands through my hair and think. I think of everything I need to think of and prepare a way for how we are going to do this. "At three o'clock, we all have to go down to the main headquarters to find out who is the new leader of The Council." I look at Tyler and Caroline. Their eyes meet mine and I open my mouth and continue. "We go there and whoever is leader will announce our plan. We will tell everyone, because the people have the right to know. We will see if anyone else wants to fight with us. When that is over, we meet back here to get weapons. In the meantime, Tyler, speak with Mason. See if he or any of his friends would like to come with us. If you know anyone else who wants to fight with us, bring them. We can do this you guys. We have to do this to survive."

Tyler nods his head as Caroline opens her mouth to speak. "You think we will be alright, Elena?" she asks me.

In all honestly, I don't know. But I don't answer the question, I ignore it because I don't want to lie and say we will be, because most likely people are going to die. "We will be safer if we leave when the sun is out." Now that is true. That is a true statement. That is something I can handle. "Not many vampires have daylight rings and we kill those that do. I guess that is the first step that we can take."

Caroline shakes her head though. She's not okay with my answer. I notice that there are some unfallen tears in her eyes and I know she is afraid. She takes a step to me. Her eyes are a crystal blue, almost like the ocean. She licks her lips. "No, Elena. Answer the question." Her voice and stern and I am surprised. "Do you think we will be alright?" she repeats.

I look away from her and down at my feet. I study my black boots, wishing I can hide in them. Why do I have to be the one to answer? Why couldn't she ask Matt? He's good at sugar-coating things. I look at everyone in the room, catching sight of their eyes on me. I look back at Caroline. I think of smiling, but I don't. I don't feel like smiling and I don't want to sugarcoat everything. I hate it when people sugarcoat things, so I won't do it to my friends. I take in a deep breath, thinking of an honest answer I can say to them. I speak before I know what I'm doing.

"I don't know," I blurt out, because that is the only honest answer I have at the moment. I look at everyone again and repeat, "I don't know." Then I lick my lips and give everyone a reassuring smile, because that is what I do even when I don't want to. "But I sure hope we will."

* * *

_**A/N: MORE ACTION WILL BE TAKING PLACE IN THE NEXT CHAPTER! YAY ACTION!**_

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